PERCEPTIVE TEAM
Joseph Edelman
Chief Executive Officer & Portfolio Manager
Joseph founded Perceptive Advisors, LLC in 1999. Previously, he was Senior Analyst at Aries Fund, a Paramount Capital Asset Management biotechnology hedge fund, from November 1994 through December 1998. Prior, he was Senior Biotechnology Analyst at Prudential Securities for four years. He started his career in the healthcare sector of the securities industry as Biotechnology Analyst at Labe, Simpson. Joseph earned an M.B.A. from New York University and a B.A., magna cum laude, in psychology from the University of California San Diego.
Adam Stone
Chief Investment Officer & Head of Research
In 2006 Adam Stone joined Perceptive. Prior to Perceptive he was a senior analyst at Ursus Capital. During his five years there he focused on biotech and specialty pharmaceuticals. He graduated, with honors, from Princeton University with a B.A. in molecular biology. Adam serves on the board of directors for several of Perceptive’s portfolio companies, including Solid Biosciences, Renovia, and Xontogeny. Additionally, Adam serves as the CEO of ARYA Sciences Acquisition Corp, and he is a member of Perceptive’s internal investment committees for the credit opportunities and venture funds.
Sam Chawla
Portfolio Manager, Credit
Sam Chawla has over 18 years of experience in healthcare corporate finance and is a member of the investment committee for the credit opportunities funds at Perceptive. Prior to joining Perceptive in 2013, he was Managing Director in the Global Healthcare Group at UBS Investment Bank. Sam has in-depth experience in M&A advisory, underwriting debt and equity financings across healthcare. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Economics and from Georgetown University with a MBA. Sam currently serves as a member on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.
Michael Altman, CFA
Managing Director, Med Devices/Diagnostics/MedTech
Michael Altman joined Perceptive in 2007 and is a managing director on the investment team. His focus is on medical devices, diagnostics, digital health and Specialty Pharmaceuticals. He is also a member of the investment committee for the credit opportunities fund. Additionally, Michael serves as the CFO and Director of ARYA Sciences Acquisition Corp II & III. Prior to Perceptive he was a healthcare trader and analyst at First New York Securities. Michael graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Business Administration. Michael serves on the board of directors for Lyra Therapeutics, Nautilus Biotechnology, and Vitruvius Therapeutics.
Hossein Ekrami, PH.D.
Managing Director, Specialty Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology
Hossein Ekrami joined Perceptive in 2007 from healthcare hedge fund Ursus Capital, where he was a Senior Analyst focused on specialty pharmaceuticals, generics, and biotech for more than seven years. Hossein earned his Ph.D. at the University of Southern California and his undergraduate degree, with honors, from London University.
Ellen Hukkelhoven, PH.D.
Head of Biotechnology Investments
Ellen Hukkelhoven joined Perceptive in 2013 as a Senior Biotechnology Analyst. At Perceptive, she focuses on public and private development stage therapeutic companies. Ellen serves on the boards of MeiraGTx, Freenome, Kindbody, AavantiBio and Partner Therapeutics. She is also a member of the Board of Overseers of the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. Prior to Perceptive, Ellen received her PhD in Cancer Biology from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. During her tenure at MSKCC, she founded and built the life sciences division of InSITE, a top graduate fellowship program that helps early stage companies with their most pressing needs. Ellen graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with degrees in molecular biology and finance.
Craig Yeshion, MD
Managing Director, Specialty Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices
Craig Yeshion joined Perceptive in 2016. Prior to joining the firm he was a Portfolio Manager for J. Goldman & Co. covering medical devices and diagnostics from 2012 through 2016. Prior to J. Goldman, he spent 5 years covering medical devices, and biotechnology as a Senior Analyst for Accipiter Capital Management, and 6 years as an analyst for Ursus Capital. Craig received his Medical degree with Honors from the Cornell University Medical College in 1995. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center, and was a physician in private practice from 1995-2000. He received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Konstantin Poukalov
Managing Director & Perceptive Discovery Co-Head
Konstantin is a Managing Director at Perceptive Advisors focused on various strategies across the Perceptive platforms. Prior to joining Perceptive, Konstantin served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Kadmon from 2014 to 2018. From 2012 to 2014, Konstantin served as Kadmon’s Vice President, Strategic Operations. Prior to joining Kadmon, Konstantin was a member of the healthcare investment banking group at Jefferies LLC from 2009 to 2012, focusing on companies across the life sciences and biotechnology sectors. Prior to Jefferies, Konstantin was a member of UBS Investment Bank, focusing on the healthcare industry, from 2006 to 2009. Konstantin earned Bachelor of Engineering, in Electrical Engineering, from Stony Brook University.
Bill Schwieterman, MD
Managing Director, Regulatory
Bill Schwieterman has been working with the Perceptive investment team since 2006. He recently re-joined the team full time in the spring of 2019 as a Managing Director, specializing in regulatory interactions and clinical development. Bill is a board-certified internist who has worked in a number of different positions within the healthcare industry, including as a reviewer and supervisor at FDA, as Chief Medical Officer for Chelsea Therapeutics, as Chief Executive Officer for Oxigene, Inc., and as a regulatory consultant to dozens of pharmaceutical and biotech companies. He obtained his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, performed his residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, and completed two post-graduate fellowships at the National Institutes of Health.
Keyvan Mirsaeedi-Farahani, MD
Managing Director, Therapeutics
Keyvan Mirsaeedi-Farahani joined Perceptive in 2016 after earning an MD from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He previously spent two years as an analyst with McKinsey. Keyvan graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan with a BS in molecular biology as well as an undergraduate business degree.
Greg Raffo
Head Trader
Greg Raffo joined Perceptive in February, 2010 from Grace Financial Group, a brokerage firm, where he was a sales trader covering the healthcare space. Prior to that he was an equity research analyst for Boenning & Scattergood, Inc. where he covered financial companies. Greg graduated from Wake Forest University in 2003 with a BS in Business.
Sandeep Dixit
Chief Credit Officer
Sandeep Dixit brings 15 years of experience to Perceptive. He was formerly Managing Director, Fort Hill Investment Partners and a Vice President at Fortress Investment Group, Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund. Sandeep has an extensive credit structuring, underwriting and portfolio management background encompassing direct lending, leveraged loans and high yield bonds. He graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Chris Garabedian
Portfolio Manager, Venture
Chris Garabedian founded Xontogeny in June of 2016 to support multiple promising technologies from early development through clinical proof of concept, and formed a partnership with Perceptive in 2017 to establish the firm’s venture fund strategy. As a member of the Perceptive Investment Team, Chris will help source and identify venture opportunities for investment as part of the Xontogeny portfolio and beyond. Chris has a broad base of experience and a track record of success across his 25 years in the pharma and biotech industries, including at two of the most successful biopharma companies over the last 20 years, Gilead and Celgene. Most recently, Chris served as the President and CEO of Sarepta Therapeutics from 2011 to 2015, overseeing the turnaround of a company that is now a commercial stage leader in the genetic technology space after leading the development of the company’s Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy program. Prior to Sarepta, Chris served as VP of Corporate Strategy for Celgene from 2007 to 2010. Prior to Celgene, Chris served in a number of global leadership roles at Gilead from 1997 to 2005, including as VP of Corporate Development, VP of Medical Affairs and VP of Marketing. Chris is currently on the Board of Directors of MassBio, on the Board of Advisors for the Keck Graduate Institute and serves as a Senior Advisor for the Boston Consulting Group.
Fred Callori
Corporate Development, Venture
Fred Callori joined Xontogeny in September 2017 to support the company’s strategic and operational objectives, including providing overall corporate governance, transactional, and strategic advice to Xontogeny’s portfolio of companies. Fred also joined Perceptive in September 2017 to support the firm’s venture fund strategy. As a member of the Perceptive Investment Team, Fred will help source and evaluate venture opportunities for investment as part of the Xontogeny portfolio and beyond. Fred developed deep experience working with early stage life science companies as a partner in the Life Science and Emerging Companies practices of Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP, a Boston law firm ranked among the most active firms worldwide for private equity and venture capital deals. During his 20 year tenure at Choate, Fred advised clients on the formation, structure, financing and overall corporate development of early stage and emerging life science companies, including representing leading venture capital and institutional investment firms focused on investing in the sector. Fred holds a JD from Boston University School of Law and a BA in Economics from Binghamton University.
Harry Jenq, PH.D.
Vice President, Biotechnology
Harry Jenq joined Perceptive in 2018 from Millennium Management where he was an analyst focused on the biotech sector. He earned his Ph.D. in bioengineering from Harvard/MIT, and graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with degrees in molecular biology and computer science (minor).
Kunal Kandimalla
Vice President, Biotechnology
Kunal joined Perceptive in 2018 and focuses on public and private biotech companies. Previously, he spent five years in business development at Agios Pharmaceuticals and as a biopharma strategy consultant at Putnam Associates. He also spent time in corporate and commercial strategy at Novartis and Sanofi-Genzyme. Kunal holds an M.B.A. in Healthcare Management and Finance from the Wharton School and a B.A. in Economics with honors from the University of Pennsylvania.
Sean Mansoory
Vice President, Credit
Sean Mansoory joined Perceptive in 2023 after spending over six years in the structured finance space at HealthCare Royalty Partners and Kennedy Lewis. Sean has experience across both debt and royalty transactions in the biopharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic, and healthcare technology sectors. He previously served in the healthcare investment banking groups of BMO Capital Markets and Janney Capital Markets after starting his career at Boston Biomedical Consultants (now IQVIA). Mr. Mansoory graduated from Trinity College with a B.Sc. in Biochemistry Honors and Pre-Medicine.
Jeremiah Paskus, Ph.D.
Associate, Biotechnology
Jeremiah joined Perceptive in 2021 as an associate and focuses on public and private biotechnology companies. Previously, he was an analyst at a healthcare dedicated long/short equity hedge fund. He spent six years as an intramural fellow at the National Institutes of Health. He earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the National Institutes of Health and Georgetown University Medical Center, and a B.A. in Neuroscience from Franklin & Marshall College.
James Mannix
Chief Operating Officer
Jim Mannix has been at Perceptive since 2006, where he manages the business operations. He has 23 years of experience as a COO, trader and portfolio manager in the equity, options, futures and debt markets. Before joining Perceptive, Jim was COO and Head Trader of the Medici Healthcare Fund, a healthcare sector specific hedge fund that he helped launch. Prior to Medici, he worked as a Portfolio Manager for ETG, LLC, where he managed long and short U.S. equities and options. Prior, he worked at Lehman Brothers as both an equity and debt trader. He graduated with a B.A. from Boston College.
Peter Fierro
Chief Financial Officer
Peter Fierro joined Perceptive in 2007 and is responsible for all aspects of the funds’ accounting. Prior to joining Perceptive, he was a manager at Rothstein, Kass & Co., P.C. (now KPMG LLP) and BISYS-RK Alternative Investment Services, Inc. (now SS&C Globe Op) where he gained 7 years’ experience auditing and administering various hedge fund portfolios. Peter graduated with highest honors from Rutgers University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He is a certified public accountant, and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJSCPA).
Alexander Rakitin
Chief Compliance Officer
Alexander Rakitin is the Chief Compliance Officer. Prior to joining Perceptive in 2017, Mr. Rakitin was a Senior Compliance Officer responsible for all aspects of the compliance program for the Ventures and Private Investments divisions at Two Sigma Investments where he worked since 2012. Prior to taking on those responsibilities at Two Sigma, Alex was responsible for the firm’s Core Compliance program as well as the compliance program for marketing and investor communications across the Asia-Pacific region. Before joining Two Sigma, Alex worked at Owl Creek Asset Management and GlobeOp Investor Services while pursuing a Law Degree at New York Law School. He graduated from Brooklyn College with a B.S. degree and is a member of the New York State Bar Association.
Patrick Morrow
Director of Investor Relations & Marketing
Patrick Morrow is the Director of Investor Relations & Marketing. Prior to joining Perceptive in 2017, Patrick was Vice President in the Private Capital Group at Jefferies LLC which raised over $13 billion of institutional capital for private equity funds and private financings during his tenure. Previously, he was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Recapitalization & Restructuring Group at Jefferies LLC. Mr. Morrow graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in International Studies focusing on World Economy & Business.
Samuel Cohn
Chief Financial Officer, Credit & Venture
Samuel Cohn is responsible for managing the financial operations for the credit and venture funds, and assists in this area across the firm. Sam joined Perceptive in 2016 from Fortress Investment Group where he was a Senior Accountant working on the Fortress Credit Opportunities Funds. Prior to that, he was an associate at Deloitte LLP focused on the audits of private equity funds. Sam received a BA from Fairleigh Dickinson University, an MBA from Rutgers Business School and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
Steven Berger
Operations Manager
Steven Berger joined Perceptive in 2006 as Operations Manager. Prior to this, Steve worked at First New York Securities, LLC as both a Senior Operations Representative and an operations Manager from 1992 to 2006. Prior Mr. Berger was an Operations Manager with Dean Witter Reynolds for six years. Steven received an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Kingsborough Community College.
Louisa Rivera
Investor Relations & Administration
Louisa Rivera has been at Perceptive since 2004, assisting the Portfolio Manager and COO in the day-to-day business operations. Prior to this she was Administrative Manager for Josephson, Luxenberg & Kance, P.C., CPA. Louisa also worked at Lehman Brothers as an Executive Assistant in the Investment Banking Division. Ms. Rivera attended LaGuardia College where she majored in Business Administration.
Allison Benmen
Executive Assistant, Research
Allison Benmen joined the Perceptive team in 2015, providing administrative support to the Chief Investment Officer and Senior Analysts in day-to-day business operations. Prior to this, she was an Event Coordinator for NYC based hospitality company The Line Group. Allison attended Indiana University where she majored in Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management.
Nicole Booth
Controller
Nicole Booth joined Perceptive in 2018 as Fund Accountant. Prior to this, Nicole worked at HedgeServ where she was a Fund Accounting Manager with experience on the Client Onboarding/Implementation team. She also worked in forensic accounting and business valuation as a Financial Analyst at Financial Research Associates and as a Senior Audit Associate in financial services practice at KPMG. Nicole earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Salisbury University and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
Gabriel Gutierrez
Associate, Credit
Gabriel joined Perceptive in 2020 after spending two years as an analyst in JPMorgan’s investment banking division focusing on underwriting debt transactions in the healthcare space. Gabriel graduated with honors from Cornell University with a B.S. in Biology and Society and a minor in Applied Economics & Management.
Dorian Slavov
Assistant Controller
Dorian joined Perceptive in 2020 as a Fund Accountant. Prior to this, Dorian worked at GoldenTree Asset Management where he was a Fund Accountant. Prior to GoldenTree, he also worked as a Senior Auditor at Ernst & Young where he focused on audit valuation processes and control testing with respect to clients’ valuation processes. Dorian earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Ramapo College of New Jersey and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
Brian Koniuch
Senior Fund Accountant
Brian joined Perceptive in 2020 as a Fund Accountant. Prior to this, Brian worked as a Senior Audit Associate in the financial services practice at KPMG. Brian earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Fairfield University and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Connecticut.
Elizabeth Chiafair
Executive Assistant, Credit
Elizabeth Chiafair joined the Perceptive Team in 2020, providing administrative support to the Portfolio Manager, Credit. Prior to this she worked as the Director of Operations at the American Camp Association and as an Executive Assistant at Beekman Reim. Elizabeth attended the University of Scranton where she majored in History.
Doug Giordano
Managing Director & Perceptive Discovery Co-Head
Doug Giordano is currently a Managing Director at Perceptive Advisers. Prior to joining Perceptive, Doug served as the Senior Vice President, Pfizer Worldwide Business Development Group, from 2007 through 1st Quarter 2021. Doug was responsible for leading Pfizer’s evaluation, negotiation and execution of product licensing, partnerships and M&A transactions. Under Doug’s leadership Pfizer deployed over $125B of capital to business development across a wide range of transaction types from venture investing, biotech licensing through large scale M&A. Doug also led Pfizer’s IPO/split-off of Zoetis, Pfizer’s consumer JV with GSK, Pfizer’s carve out and stand up of companies like Cerevel, Spring Works and Allogene; and the recently closed spin/merger of Viatris.
Before leading Pfizer’s Worldwide Business Development group, Doug held positions of increasing responsibility within Pfizer’s U.S. Pharmaceuticals Group including roles in finance, manufacturing and commercial strategy. Prior to joining Pfizer, Doug was a consultant at Booz, Allen & Hamilton.
Doug earned a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University and an M.B.A. from Cornell University’s Johnson School of Business. He currently serves on the Board of Cerevel Therapeutics and is a member of the Duke University School of Medicine Board of Visitors.
Tim Grabis
Trader
Tim Grabis joined Perceptive in 2021 from Lombard Odier Asset Management, a multi-manager, where he was focused on Equity L/S and Long Only strategies. Prior to that, he was an Equity Trader at Jefferies focused on Industrials, Materials, and Energy. Tim graduated from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2015 with a BS in Finance.
Gabriel Sokoloff
Analyst, Biotechnology
Gabriel joined Perceptive in 2021 after graduating summa cum laude from the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences & Management (LSM) at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his undergraduate studies with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Wharton with a concentration in Finance as well as a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Arts & Sciences as a Biology major. Prior to joining Perceptive full-time, Gabriel spent two summers as an intern at the firm.
Kriti Lall
Analyst, Biotechnology
Kriti joined Perceptive in 2021 and focuses on public and private biotech companies. Previously, she spent time on J.P. Morgan’s Healthcare Investment Banking team, where she worked with biotech, pharma, and medtech companies on capital raising activities and M&A advisory. Kriti graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Applied Math and Economics and a minor in Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Orly Mishan
Managing Director, Perceptive Discovery
Ms. Mishan has over 25 years of medical products industry experience in both large and small companies across biopharma, devices and investing. She has held various executive roles at Pfizer, Boston Scientific, Biogen and most recently as the Chief Business Officer of Cerevel Therapeutics – a company which she helped to build while at Bain Capital. As part of the founding team of Bain Capital Life Sciences (BCLS), Ms. Mishan led their investment in Kestra Medical in 2017 and serves on the Kestra board. Ms. Mishan began her career at McKinsey & Company, serving companies in the life sciences and finance sectors. Ms. Mishan received her B.A. from Columbia College, Columbia University.
Sam Hernandez
Receptionist
Sam joined the Perceptive Team in 2021 and provides administrative support to the office, including greeting and directing visitors, managing office resources, and arranging logistics for in-person meetings. Sam is currently attending Baruch College where she’s majoring in Finance & Investments.
Nathan Sadeghi-Nejad
Managing Director, Specialty Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology
Nathan Sadeghi-Nejad is a Managing Director at Perceptive Advisors focused on the biotechnology and specialty pharmaceuticals sectors. Prior to joining Perceptive, he was a partner at Palkon Capital, a hedge fund focused on the biopharma sector, and managed a life sciences portfolio at Highside Capital. Nathan started his career at Ursus Capital in 1997, after graduating from Columbia University with a B.A. in Philosophy and a concentration in Premedical Sciences.
David Kim
Tax Director
David joined Perceptive Advisors in 2022 and serves as the company’s Tax Director. Before joining Perceptive, he was a Senior Manager at EY’s Wealth and Asset Management practice with a focus on hedge fund and private equity clients. David earned his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, he has a B.S. in Accounting from Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management and is a federally authorized Enrolled Agent.
Tatiana Gonzalez
Executive Assistant, Research
Tatiana joined Perceptive Advisors in 2022 as an Executive Assistant. She assists in day-to-day business operations and provides administrative support to the Chief Investment Officer and the Perceptive Research team. Prior to this, she was the Executive Assistant to the President of Care Connectors, Inc. Tatiana received her M.A. in Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Studies from Columbia University and she earned a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Central Florida.
Paulette Ayoung
Executive Assistant, Perceptive Discovery & Investor Relations
Paulette joined Perceptive in 2022, providing administrative support to the Managing Director, Strategy and the Discovery Fund team. She brings with her a wealth of experience in administration from her time in both the biotech sector and the financial services sector. She has spent the last 10 years supporting leadership teams in the R&D and Product Strategy departments at Biogen, Shire, and Ipsen. Prior to this, Paulette spent over 20 years as an executive administrator in investment banking and private equity at some of the most recognized names on Wall Street. Paulette’s unique perspectives from across the life sciences and financial services industries allow her to contribute to the growth and strength of the teams she supports.
Wei Dong Liu
Compliance Officer
Wei joined Perceptive in April 2023 as a Compliance Officer. Prior to this, Wei worked at CVC Credit where he was a Compliance Associate. Prior to CVC Credit, he also worked as a Compliance Associate at Perella Weinberg Partner where he focused on all aspects of the compliance program for its asset management business. Before joining Perella Weinberg Partners, Wei served in various roles in the Legal and Compliance department at MetLife. Wei earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Baruch College.